Spring Dreams

Commissioned by the Ithaca College School of Music, Spring Dreams was premiered by the Ithaca College Choir on November 15, 1997, under the direction of Prof. Lawrence Doebler. The music sets the poem Spring Dreams by Meng Hao-ran (689-740, Tang Dynasty) and is sung in Mandarin.  In the beginning of the piece, some of the vocal parts imitate the vivid pulse of bird song, accompanying a melody sung in the speech-singing style of Chinese opera, sung here by the sopranos.  This section personifies the joy of spring. The poet is then awakened from his dream by the bird song, and realizes that many flowers have been destroyed by a night of wind and rain showers. He sympathizes with the fallen petals, repeating the words from the last line of the poem: “Know you how many petals falling?” This melody is sung in unison, occasionally interrupted by bird song, as we the listeners are deeply immersed in wordless sorrow.